GC Pricewatch and Cables

J

jmjm

Guest
Hi

Which games console should I ........... Only joking. I have decided to get a GC now and then a PS2 or Xbox after the likely Xmas price drop so I can stop torturing myself with the endless "which one to buy" debate. My questions are:

1) What is the view on the best GC deal at the mo? - I want the console plus Mario Sunshine at least. Dixons have GC + Mario + extra controller + memory for £178. Whilst it goes against the grain to buy anything from Dixons this sound like quite a good deal. Anyone seen better?

2) What connectivity do I need to get the most out of a GC and my Panasonic 32PB50? I have only just got the hang of Sky, DVD and sound on this TV so need some advice as I am not very up on my scart/RGB etc. What cables will I need other than what comes in the box. Also, will I have any trouble connecting a PS2 as well later?

TIA - please don't have a go if these are deemed to be dumb questions - I am a newbie and a girl ;)
 
Right.. I haven't got a clue about the Dixons deal sorry ^_^ Just look around or just wait a few hours for some people to reply about the prices since I bought my Gamecube from Japan (modded to play American games).

When you buy your Gamecube though you will be presented with the cheapo composite cable (Red, White and Yellow leads). Generally don't use this cable unless you have to ^_^

Since its a UK Gamecube your best bet is an RGB Scart Cable. You can either buy a first party one made by Nintendo or a 3rd Party one made by Logic 3 for example.

My solution would be this... Pop down to Argos and buy a Scart Video box. Its on page 684 I believe and the cat number is 534/0370 (Thanks to Groundy for the page and cat number). Its the scart box without the lead already connected.

Once you have that baby, connect a Scart lead from your TV (AV1) to the TV/Monitor socket on the box.

Connect your Gamecube Scart lead to either A, B or C and do the same for your PS2.

Job done ^_^ Now you can just push a button to select the Gamecube or PS2.. You can even add your Sky Digital to this box so it wil lhave RGB quality. If you have anymore questions just ask and we'll get back to you.
 
Originally posted by jmjm
Hi

Which games console should I ........... Only joking. I have decided to get a GC now and then a PS2 or Xbox after the likely Xmas price drop so I can stop torturing myself with the endless "which one to buy" debate. My questions are:

1) What is the view on the best GC deal at the mo? - I want the console plus Mario Sunshine at least. Dixons have GC + Mario + extra controller + memory for £178. Whilst it goes against the grain to buy anything from Dixons this sound like quite a good deal. Anyone seen better?


Hi "jmjm" and welcome to the forums :).

I'm not really up on the UK High-Street deals but the one you mention from Dixons sounds more than reasonable. Are you stuck on buying a PAL GC? If you don't mind buying import then:

http://www.goblindirect.co.uk

are doing US Gamecube bundles for a similar or better price. All necessary cables and stepdown are included. Your TV is NTSC compatible so no problems there. It would however mean you are limited to buying US games from now on. This is generally seen as a benefit rather than a hinderence though.

PAL games should still be playable with the use of Datel's Action Replay - and with Freeloader if they ever materialise. Offcourse this also works the other way around allowing US/JAP games to be played on PAL Cubes so PAL might be the better option for some people.


2) What connectivity do I need to get the most out of a GC and my Panasonic 32PB50? I have only just got the hang of Sky, DVD and sound on this TV so need some advice as I am not very up on my scart/RGB etc. What cables will I need other than what comes in the box. Also, will I have any trouble connecting a PS2 as well later?


If you buy a Pal machine, you will want to purchase the official Nintendo RGB Cable for the best picture. I think a standard Composite Video cable comes in the box. Your TV will probably only have one RGB Capable Scart socket though so you will either have to chop and change RGB Scart connections when needed or but a Scart Switch Box from the likes of Argos for £9.75.

If you require any further information, just ask.
 
Thankyou both for you speedy and helpful replies.

The Scart switch sounds like just what I need for whichever consoles I need to hook up.

The import idea is food for thought - esp since I've got a telly which can handle it. The only problem is that I really want to play Mario Sunshine tonight so will have to see if my willpower can hold out as I walk past Dixons. If not, I might well have a look at imports.

Thanks again :)
 
Hi jmjm,

Have you had a look in your local Game store, i know they are doing a Mario Sunshine package and i think its about £10 - £15 cheaper, dont know whats in the box but the worst you can do is ask.
 
Personally I would go down the import route. There are many advantages such as cheaper games, sooner release dates Vs European ones and that they will run in full screen at full speed (no borders and s l o w gameplay ^_^).

Disadvantages are that you would need to buy online (and some retailers are better than others naturally), you can't rent titles from Blockbusters and its not easy finding 2nd hand titles so you must choose wisely.

The step down converter issue isn't a problem, just buy a 100-110W step down converter from a good electronics store and you will be sorted. Another disadvantage would be the inability to swap games with your mates... Unless of course they also have an import Gamecube.

Groundy has personally used http://www.tronixweb.com/ I believe and rates it highly. My next purchase will also be from them. Other sites like www.dvdboxoffice.com offer cheap prices but some people don't like it... I personally have ordered over £700's worth of DVDs and Videogames from them and each item has arrived within a maximum of two weeks. http://www.ncsx.com/ is also a website used by quite a few regulars so feel free to look at all the links to make up your mind about the import scene.

Happy gaming ^_^
 
Toys r Us are doing the Gamecube Mario deal with 4 games

http://www.toysrus.co.uk/frameset.jsp?tabid=2&sid=-672327440&kick=-1095509255

The others games are reasonably pants (Extreme G3 is ok), but should net you at least 50 squid for second hand trade in (or if still wrapped go for the unwanted present blag with missing receipt :) ), most likely bagging you Resi Evil and a pad from any decent store.

My current list of GC games to buy are :-

Super Mario
Resi Evil
Super Monkey ball (although may be worth waiting for no.2)
Pikmin
Beach Spikers (for multiplayer, although be prepared for bikini onslaught, which may not appeal to your female sensibilities)

Looking forward to

Metroid Prime
Godzilla : Melee
Zelda
 
hmm, that Toys'r'us deal looks kind of tempting... definitely want SMS and a nice official memory card, maybe Extreme G plus 18 Wheeler might be fun for a few days... is this deal available in store as well as on their Web-site?

what places are best to try the 'lost receipt' trick at? anyone had any success with such tactics at HMV, Virgin, WHSmiths, Woolies etc? does anyone know if the games would come sealed or not from Toys'r'us? definitely worth trying for the likes of Driven and the Motorcross one since it looks like it might be a struggle to even sell either of those on ebay, let alone for a decent price!

also does anyone know what kind of trade-in might be got at Game for any of these titles? how likely is a 2 crap new games for one good used game swap i wonder... in which case SMB and Rogue Leader would beckon :)

thanks,

Dan
 
18 Wheeler really should have stayed inthe arcades... As a home console port it is very poor IMO... Best to rent than to buy ^_^

I haven't used the "lost receipt" trick since most of the members locally in Game or GameStation know me... But its still worth the haggle at other places - The unwanted present excuse works a lot better though ^_^

As for a trade in of a GameBoy... If its the original then you won't get much for it at all.. Same for Pocket and Color. My guess is probably £20 if you're lucky. For Driven and Motorcross... Again very low prices on these but if you put them together as you suggested and maybe another old title from another platform (PSX, N64 etc) then you might have enough credit for another game... Certainly for a 2nd hand SMB and Rogue Leader.

I bought ICO from the PC World sale for £25 new (limited edition) since not only is it a good game, I could probably get at least £25 back if I traded it in ^_^ So invest the cash well and if you want to try out a game - Rent.
 
ooh, when did you get Ico, was that a recent offer at PC World? seems they go for at least that much 2nd hand on ebay anyway!

the 'unwanted birthday present' 'no receipt' combo might be nice, especially if any shops would allow a swap for another game! could end up with a collection of 5 decent GC games for 200 quid... or it might all go horribly wrong ending up with less than 10 quid per crap game on ebay or something... hmm, it's a bit of a gamble but i will let the group know what happens if i try it :)

Dan
 
Get down to your good old dixons or Curries. Try and make sure the games are still wrapped and just make loads of fuss. One thing about the N00bers employed there is that you feel no guilt ripping them off.

You can try this in respectable games stores but I personally don't usually do that as, like Neoblade, I shop there :)
 
was out and about scouting trade in prices/potential swap values today. might give the plan a try this week. i like the idea of harassing the 'staff' at Dixons or somewhere similar for an exchange although don't know how successful it would be there. indeed it would remove any qualms of dishonesty by getting an exchange somewhere like that rather than a more reputable retailer however! i have heard that people have managed the no-receipt exchange at HMVs before now so will try there first... since there will be a number of crap games to swap i can try at various outlets though for more fun and amusement... :devil:
 
lol jdanielp, well good luck mate ^_^ BTW That PC World thing was quite some time ago now... There was a half price sale on all the PS2, Xbox and GameCube games for a week and Ico was on top of my shopping list along with Pikmin. Theres plenty of good games coming out before the end of the year, and it looks like there will be a new Gamecube game almost every week... Should be good.
 
well i decided to go for it!

bought the Super Mario Sunshine package (Purple GameCube, SMS and memory card) plus 4 game combo (Extreme G 3, Driven, Dave Mirra BMX 2 (they were doing this instead of 18 Wheeler) and Jeremy McGrath Supercross) for 199-99 from Toys'r'us on Tuesday night (GAME would in principle have matched the deal like-for-like but they didn't have SMS GameCube packages or 2 of the extra games in stock at the time so were not able to... shame, otherwise i would have got 5 quid back via GAME points!).

the four extra games came sealed which was handy. tried the 'birthday present with no receipt' trick at HMV for Driven and Jeremey McGrath Supercross (from what i have heard by far the worst of the bunch) but they were not impressed :( popped in a different branch of GAME nearby to get an exchange valuation. they offered 35 quid which i think is equivalent to the prices they are currently selling the two games at new but on offer.

decided to just go for an exchange at GAME but price matched HMVs current sale to get Rogue Leader for 24-99 and picked up a pre-owned official RGB cable for 14-99, paying the nearly 5 quid difference from the trade-in... might put more effort into trying to swap the other two games elsewhere and see what comes up!

but for the record from i currently have:
Gamecube, SMS and memory Card (opened and played :))
Extreme G 3 and Dave Mirra BMX 2 (sealed for further trade/swap)
Rogue Leader (new from GAME)
Official RGB Scart (pre-owned from GAME)

having spent approx:
200 (Toys'r'us) - 2 (Egg 1% cashback) + 5 (GAME trade-in difference) = 203 quid

not too bad so far i think! :D
 
lol Not bad going jdanielp ^_^ Certainly looks like you were a busy bunny for the day, checking out the stores for the best price is all meat and veg for a gamer since you want the best deal possible... Unless you're rich >_<

Are you happy with your purchase though? IMO I would certainly keep Extreme G3 and Dave Mira BMX 2 sealed... If you're tempted to give either game a go just rent it. You might not get amazing prices for them separately but just pair them up again. Resident Evil would be a good bet but if you can't get used to the control scheme then you won't enjoy it. Eternal Darkness is a safer bet IMO... Very good title, top graphics and audio and plays very well. Control is easier than in Resident Evil as well.

There are some big titles coming out for the Gamecube, almost a new title every week in november or so, so it looks like its going to be a very expensive winter for every gamer, regardless of what console you might own.
 
well i was thinking more along the lines of Super Monkey Ball (or should i wait for the sequel - or for the original to be discounted when the sequel arrives...), maybe Pikmin or Luigi, although i have never actually played a Resident Evil game so that might be interesting to try. probably worth renting anything first like you say and although i am tempted i will probably keep Dave Mirra and Extreme G sealed for the time being. SMS and SW:RL in nice RGB and surprisingly good Dolby Pro-logic II should keep me going for a while anyway! :D
 

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